Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/rational?

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View Poll Results: Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/rational?

Re: Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/ration

Originally Posted by countryboy

Why is it so far fetched when Christian businesses have already been forced to either participate in gay weddings, or go out of business? We either have religious freedom, or we don't.

Because businesses operate under different rules than churches, which has been true even before same sex marriage and gay rights were an issue. There were plenty of places in the past that did not want to serve blacks or interracial couples, but they were forced to do so anyway. Yet in all that time, churches have been able to deny anyone a wedding, black couples, white couples, interracial couples, couples of a certain faith, all because churches especially when it comes to religious ceremonies, are protected from being forced to allow anyone to participate, other entities, even those where the owners are very religious or have based their business around some religious principles are not given such protections.

"A woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Re: Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/ration

Originally Posted by roguenuke

Because businesses operate under different rules than churches, which has been true even before same sex marriage and gay rights were an issue. There were plenty of places in the past that did not want to serve blacks or interracial couples, but they were forced to do so anyway. Yet in all that time, churches have been able to deny anyone a wedding, black couples, white couples, interracial couples, couples of a certain faith, all because churches especially when it comes to religious ceremonies, are protected from being forced to allow anyone to participate, other entities, even those where the owners are very religious or have based their business around some religious principles are not given such protections.

So you lose your religious freedom when you own a business? Please show me that in the Constitution.

Re: Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/ration

Originally Posted by Fiddytree

Unless I can be corrected, I don't think there is even a legal precedent requiring Churches to do so for interracial couples. Marriages from the state cannot discriminate, but as far as I am aware, those protections go out the window when a Church is conducting a religious ceremony.

There are places where judges/JoPs were refusing to perform marriages for interracial couples until someone finally said something about it in like 2010.

"A woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Re: Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/ration

Originally Posted by countryboy

So you lose your religious freedom when you own a business? Please show me that in the Constitution.

Nope. But your religious beliefs have little to do with your operation of that business and are balanced against other people's rights to participate in commerce. Complain all you want, but rights are always balanced between people.

"A woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Re: Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/ration

Originally Posted by roguenuke

Nope. But your religious beliefs have little to do with your operation of that business and are balanced against other people's rights to participate in commerce. Complain all you want, but rights are always balanced between people.

If you are forced to participate in a gay wedding, that is a loss of religious freedom. Not sure why that is so difficult to understand. What part of "free exercise thereof" do you not understand?

Re: Do you believe the idea of churches being forced to marry people is likely/ration

Originally Posted by countryboy

That's not what I asked. How does one determine what another person truly believes, in their heart? Is merely asking enough? Or hearing an alleged testimony? What if someone claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ, yet doesn't conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the teachings of Christ? Are they still a believer? People never lie?

You/we don't. That is up to God to determine. We take people at their word. This is why it is stupid to claim that so and so isn't a Christian, because that isn't your place to say. If they claim Christianity as their religion, then they are a Christian. It is for God or any other higher power out there to determine otherwise, not other people.

"A woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." - Eleanor Roosevelt